Monday, 3 March 2014

A brief detour: Sorcery of Scent on Basenotes

A brief detour from my regular course... You cannot imagine the numer of messages I receive by email or comment form asking why I was permanently "banned" from Basenotes.

I made my departure in 2011, but now in 2014 it appears there are still quite a few people (most of them asking anonymously) who wish to know why. This mystifies me!

Until now, I haven't responded to such requests, but I thought I'd spend 5 minutes to spell it out once and well so that the question never has to be asked again.

Its simple: I wasn't banned - I publicly asked to have my profile removed.

In a nutshell, ex-Basenoter Habanitta and I were in the process of negotiating a transaction when she was banned. I can't remember why - but I'm sure that paradigm of righteousness, moderator Stuigi, thought he had good reason. When I piped up and voiced my frustration, because I had no way of seeing my transaction through (Habanitta and I hadn't yet exchanged contact details prior to her banning), I was slapped with an infraction for "airing moderator grievances" by said moderator. Annoyed with it all, I publicly asked my profile be removed. Stuigi deleted my post requesting my account be closed, and hit the "ban" button, not the "remove account" button. The result; a blight on my name that was impossible to remove.

And here I am several years on... still explaining his injudiciousness. Hurrah!

After I left, a member contacted me and told me Stuigi had posted disparaging remarks about me after my departure. So I took it to that sleeping lizard, Editor and Founder Grant Osborne, telling him that an 'impartial mod' Stuigi is not. He said he would look into it. The remark was eventually removed.

When I asked if the word "banned" could be removed from beneath my profile, again, he said he would look into it. More than 2 years later, and there has not been a word.

Am I surprised? Well, frankly, no.

I've no ill will against Basenotes, nor those that frequent it, but its no longer a place for me. I had my fun for a few years and now I seldom (if ever) look in.

9 comments:

I think a great number of exceptional contributors and intelligent minds have left in their droves because of the contentious motives of this piteous figure.It's so wonderful, however, to see said members (such as yourself Aromi), thriving nevertheless.

I'm simply an amateur hack who has FUN in this hobby. You, on the other hand, have a legitimate skillset in this arena. To have people like ourselves, plus others offering what they have to give, is what made places like basenotes extremely interesting at one time.

I have noticed over the last 3 years numerous members I respected highly simply pack up and leave. That should raise a red flag or two......

I suppose what confuses me the most presently about the site are a few of the new "mods". I'm a member of Parfumo, but I read BN at times and not only there, but Fragrantica as well.

If I didn't know better, I would think that at least one is a shill for Slumberhouse. I could be wrong, but I was under the impression that mods were to remain neutral for the sake of protocol.

At any rate, there's still a few friendly names there like Redneck ( who happens to be a mod now ). People like Pluran, Joe Petrucci, Mimi Gardenia, to name just a few few, remain members but don't interact anymore. There must be a reason they stopped contributing.

SORCERY OF SCENT DISCLAIMER

Sorcery of Scent occasionally receives samples/product for review, but said items are more often than not passed on to my readers by means of competitions held on the site, or, in the interests of full disclosure, mentioned in writing in the body of my work.

Receiving samples does not change my personal perception of a perfume, nor inspire any sense of obligation to the supplier.